


Promptober 2019

by sgteam14283



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy, Mass Effect: Andromeda, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Promptober, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-01-16 17:23:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 13,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21274919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sgteam14283/pseuds/sgteam14283
Summary: Collection of drabbles/prompts from October. Pairings/etc will be in notes in each chapter.





	1. Sweaters

**Author's Note:**

> Decided to try Promptober this year to really work on my drabble skills. There were some days that I combined prompts in order to not fall behind. I'll also specify what prompts came from what list (because I jumped around lists a lot).
> 
> This first one comes from the MEffictober2019 list, the weekly prompt was Sweaters!
> 
> Shenko and takes place after the Leviathan DLC in ME3. Enjoy!

Rose Shepard needed to get warm.

Chakwas had discharged her, saying to come back if her headache reappeared. Heading to her cabin, Shep wasn’t sure the last time she spent time there other than to shower and catch a few hours of sleep before heading back to the War Room.

Still feeling the chill of the deep ocean, she dug around her dresser to find something to banish it. But all she had were short sleeved shirts.

“_That’s not going to help._” she thought with a frown while closing a drawer.

Pausing for a second, Rose decided to try the very bottom drawer before officially giving up. Inside she found a gray hoodie with the Canucks logo.

“_This must be Kaidan’s. Not sure how that got here._” Rose said while looking at the hamster cage on her desk. Showing her hamster the small stylized shark next to the team’s hometown, she was surprised at how soft it was. “What do you think? Should I try it on?”

The hamster gave an excited squeak and Rose shoved her arms into it, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

\--

Kaidan waited as the elevator reached the top deck on the Normandy and exited into the hallway that led to Shepard’s quarters. Finished with his duties, he was going to bring her tea as a roundabout way of checking on her. He was still trying to get rid of the image of Rose lying on the shuttle floor, under Leviathan’s control.

Since both of his hands were holding mugs of hot tea, Kaidan pressed the door panel with his elbow. The door stayed closed so he tried again. “Hey EDI, is Shepard in her cabin?”

_The Commander is currently sleeping. Do you wish for me to open the door?_

“Please.”

Cautiously setting the mugs on her desk, he walked down the steps towards the bed. The lighting of the fish tank gave everything an undersea glow and for a moment Kaidan wondered if he should have EDI power down the tank’s lighting.

“_Rose would have asked EDI to do it if it was bothering her._” Kaidan scolded himself as he gently sat on the edge of the bed. 

Rose felt movement on the bed and opened her eyes, suddenly aware that she’d been asleep. Rolling over, she saw through blurry eyes that it was Kaidan. “Hey.” 

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” Kaidan replied, moving closer to Rose and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. Up here, away from the eyes of the crew, they felt comfortable with displays of affection. And it was a covert way to check her body temperature.

“That’s okay. I needed to get up anyways.” Rose sat up while straightening the hoodie that'd gotten twisted as she slept. 

“Is that my Canuks hoodie?” Kaidan asked with a hint of laughter. It was too big on Shepard, the fabric cocooning her and the sleeves too long on her arms. But she looked cozy in it and that made him smile because they needed to take in the little things now more than ever.

“Hm? Yeah. Sorry, I’ll take it off.”

“No, no, don’t. It looks better on you.”

Rose looked at Kaidan and saw the adoration on his face. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she leaned towards him while breathing in the scent of pine mixed with biotics that he always seemed to have. 

“Then I might have to keep it.” 

“I guess so.”


	2. Sugar Skulls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was taken from the MEffictober2019 list and I wanted to write about this holiday respectfully so I included a character that’s canonically Hispanic in ME:A and one that’s (in my own HC) Hispanic on her mother’s side. This takes place post-game and is established Reyes/Ryder.

It had been a long day running the Collective from Tartarus and all Reyes wanted to do was have a nightcap and fall into bed. But on his walk towards his apartment he noticed that the Tempest was in its docking bay.

“_No one notified me._” he thought while quickly checking his omni-tool. Knowing there must be a reason, he changed direction and headed to Keema’s throne room. 

He kept an apartment there, where he could meet Ryder without it seeming too odd. The excuse was simple, Reyes had been a loyal friend to the Collective as a smuggler and now that the organization was running the show he was benefiting from that.

Said throne room was empty, which didn’t surprise him because not everyone kept his hours. Slipping up to the second level, Reyes keyed in the code and the door slid open to reveal dim lighting.

Anna Ryder heard the door open and looked up to see Reyes in the doorway. “You’re not supposed to be here. Well not yet."

“Oh?” Reyes replied while fully stepping into the room and seeing the _ofrenda_.

It was a surprise to see the alter, the last time one had been set up had been by his grandmother. It was something she'd always done for his grandfather and other members of his family long gone.

_“It’s a way for us to celebrate them and their life.” she’d say while placing the sugar skulls among the vases of flowers on the first level. The bright yellow, red, and deep purple colors always held his attention, making him want to believe that he’d see his mother in the Land of the Dead when his own time came._

To Reyes it had seemed an ancient tradition; out of place with the shuttles, holos, and advanced tech that dominated the world.

But seeing it now brought a sense of familiarity in a vastly strange universe. 

“I mean, I know you said I could use the apartment whenever I wanted, but I didn’t think you’d show up.” Anna said, suddenly feeling nervous about setting up the _ofrenda._ "I did tell Kemma not to let you know, I remember how you're not one for traditions."

She’d never been one to really get into _Día de Muertos_, it had been more of a thing that her mother had done until she was too sick to actually do it. But after everything the past year had brought, she wanted something to make her feel connected to her family. 

Not sure what to make of Reyes’s blank expression, she continued on, “I just felt like I needed to do something to mark the day. But I’ve been banned from the Tempest galley so I can’t make _Pan de Muertos_ let alone any sugar skulls. But apparently Alec brought some replicas which is weird because-”

“It’s fine. I saw the Tempest and thought that you wanted to surprise me. Turns out you did.” Reyes broke in, seeing how on edge Ryder was getting at not being able to have any of the more traditional foods for the holiday. He gave Anna’s forehead a gentle kiss, “Wait here.” 

It took some rummaging around, but eventually he found what he was looking for and was back in the main room. “If you don’t mind.” 

Anna looked at the photo and let a small smile appear, “Go ahead.” 

Reyes set the photo of him, his grandmother, aunties, and mother next to Ellen and Alec Ryder on the second level of the altar and carefully re-arraigned the replica sugar skulls so they were facing each other. While doing so, he noticed the writing on one.

Picking it up he turned to face Ryder, “Something you want to tell me?” 

Anna saw that he was holding the skull with his name written on it. Biting her bottom lip, she felt her face flush. “I was going to show you eventually…but yeah.” 

Taking her hand in his free one, Reyes pulled her close. “I’m flattered you want to make room for me in the afterlife. Whatever that is.” 

“I love you Reyes.” Anna said, giving him a slow kiss and intertwining her fingers with his. “Whatever happens, I want you to know that.”

“I love you as well, Ryder.”


	3. Explosion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vega/Ryder this time around! Prompt is from the Wumptober list and takes places post-ME3.

“Look out!” 

James Vega heard the shout and was in the middle of turning when an explosion pushed him off his feet. Thrown back by the force of the grenade, he slammed into a stone slab and slumped to the ground.

Vision wavering he heard muffled sounds of gunfire, yelling, and more explosions. Shaking his head to clear it, Vega tried to stand but couldn’t get his legs to cooperate. Blinking rapidly to try and get rid of the black spots dancing across his vision, he felt himself tip to the side. 

“_Okay, that’s not good._” he thought as the black spots got larger and he faded out of consciousness.

His head was pounding to the steady beeping and James wanted to shove a pillow over his ears to drown it out. Slowly opening his eyes, it took him a minute to realize that he wasn’t in his bunk at the N training facility. 

“I thought we agreed you weren’t going to do anything stupid.” 

James looked over at the voice, his vision blurring for a second. Once it cleared he saw Anna Ryder sitting in the chair looking like she’d spent the night sleeping in it. “Uh…sorry?”

Anna Ryder let her shoulders drop and tried not to start crying again. Getting the vidcall saying that James had been in a training accident had been enough to rattle her. It had been luck that she was visiting for a few days, both to see James and squeeze in some surfing, but hearing he was in the Alliance medical facility had sent her back to a time that she’d rather forget. The facility was the same one that Ellen had gotten a revised timeline with her illness from and Anna hated that the place dragged up memories she’d rather forget. Even all these years later she’d rather go to a local med clinic than a formal hospital. 

“Freckles.” 

The nickname brought Anna back to the present and she looked at James, seeing that he was alright. “Sorry, I…” she trailed off, swallowing. “You know how these kinds of places get to me.”

James nodded, ignoring the stab of pain the action brought, and took her hand in his. “It’s okay. I’m here.” 

Anna gave a half-smile at the words, remembering when she had to spend a few days at Huerta after taking a beating on Tuchanka and reacting badly to being in the medical center. James had said those words to her in the Normandy's med-bay, and they were still as comforting as they were when he first said them.

“I should be the one making sure you’re alright, not the other way around.” she said while giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Well I figure I owe you since I did a dumb ass thing.” 

Anna let out a huff of laughter and shifted so she could rest her forehead against his shoulder. “Just don’t stop any more grenades with your body.”

“I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try.”


	4. Delirium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Whumptober again and takes places early-to-mid game in ME:A.

_Pathfinder, I’m detecting an elevated body temperature. You may want to speak with Doctor T’Perro._

“M’fine.” Scott mumbled, slowly running a hand across his face and dimly realizing that he did feel a bit warm. But he shrugged it off as just still being warm from getting out of bed-he always tended to run like a furnace. 

“_I can’t get sick, there’s too much to do._” Scott thought as he dragged himself towards the bathroom for a quick shower. “_Pathfinders don’t get sick._”

Normally he was in and out, but Scott couldn’t seem to get going. Eventually he dragged himself back to his room, shivering even though he was dried off and in his fleece pullover. “Ugh…SAM, how much time do I have until I have to be in the loadout room?”

_You have approximately ten minutes, Scott._

“Perfect, just long enough for a quick nap.” Scott all but collapsed on the bed, wrapping himself up in the blankets and closing his eyes, already starting to sink into a sleep.

Thump thump thump.

Scott let out a groan and buried his head into the pillow, whatever was happening needed to just stop for another hour. His head was pounding and even in the relative dark of space it was too bright.

“SAM…turn the lights off all the way.” his voice was muffled by the pillow, but Scott knew the AI would understand him. 

_Scott, Mister Costa is requesting entrance into your quarters._

“Tell him to go away, I still have five minutes.” 

_You have been sleeping for over half-an-hour. Combined with your elevated body temperature and congestion, it is most likely you have contracted something._

“No shit.” Scott was already half-asleep again, he just wanted to take a few days off and rest. But he also knew that the Nexus was counting on him to find Meridian and the rest of the arks. 

So no sick day for him.

Forcing himself to move, Scott flung the covers off of him and shivered as the cold air hit his body. Wavering as he sat up, he somehow got to his feet and shuffled towards the door. Heart pounding in his chest, he was halfway towards the door when he felt the room spin around him and somehow made it to the door. Not having the energy to open the door, Scott slowly lowered himself to the floor and closed his eyes.

–

The muffled sounds of the ship reached Scott’s ears and for a second he thought he was still in his quarters. But opening his eyes he saw that he was in the Tempest’s med bay. 

“Feeling better?” 

Scott slowly sat up while glancing over to where Lexi was sitting, an unamused expression on her face. “If feeling like I ran a marathon without training, then yeah.”

“You need to take your health seriously, Scott. Especially since you’re currently the only pathfinder out here. If you’re not feeling well then you need to come see me. ”

“But that’s why I didn’t say anything, Tann and the Nexus need me to find Meridian and sort this whole mess out.” Scott said as he shifted to a sitting position.

“They need you to be healthy. And that’s not going to happen if you push yourself past your limits. I already messaged Tann telling him and Addison that you need at least a week to get better and resume your duties.”

Scott wanted to protest but swallowed it, knowing that it would be useless against the doctor. Staring at the wall he silently wished for his mother’s hot lemonade and honey, something that she always made when him or Sera were sick.

The door to the bay opened and Scott looked up to see Liam walking in with a steaming mug in each hand. “SAM said you were awake so I thought this might cheer you up.”

He looked to Lexi with silent permission and took the outstretched mug after her nod.

“Five minutes, Liam.” Lexi said as she picked up a stack of data pads and walked to the other side of the room to give them some privacy.

The smell of warm lemons with an underlying hint of sweetness filled Scott’s nose as he wrapped his hands around the mug and he felt transported back to his room when he was still living at home and sick. “How’d you know?”

“I remember you mentioning it a few times during one of long Nomad rides. I know it’s not your mum’s but hopefully I got the ratio’s right.”

Scott took a cautious sip and smiled after swallowing. “It’s perfect.” 

Liam broke into a smile, taking a sip of his tea. 

_Scott!_

Scott’s eyes flew open and he was confused, why was he in his bed and not back in the infirmary?

“You’ve been burning up mate.” 

“Hm?” Scott licked his dry lips and tried to comprehend what was going on. “What’s going on?”

“You didn’t show up to the loadout room and SAM said you were running a fever.” Liam said as he cautiously sat on the edge of the bed. “Lexi almost pitched a fit when she found out you didn’t tell her you were sick.”

“I was just in the infirmary and Lexi read me the riot act.”

Liam shook his head, “You’ve been here the whole time. We’ve been taking shifts so you wouldn’t be alone.”

Scott rubbed his eyes to give himself some time to think and slowly realized that he must have been delirious. “Thanks.” 

Liam gave Scott a brilliant smile, “For you? Anything.”


	5. Gunpoint & Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taken from Whumptober (Gunpoint) and MEffictober (Scars). Another Vega/Ryder one and takes places after Priority: Rannoch during ME3. Enjoy!

Someone was following Anna Ryder.

It was crowded in what remained of Zakarian Ward, mostly humans with other Council species trying to go about business as usual in what hadn’t been destroyed by Sovereign and then Cerberus.

But Ryder could tell because she had stopped several times at different business’s and each time the same human behind her had stopped as well.

“_This is just insulting._” she thought while stopping at another vendor, this one selling asari inspired jewelry and scarfs.

Pretending to look at a pair of earrings, she glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw the human in the black leather jacket at a different stall, trying to not make it obvious that he was tailing her.

After leaving the Reds, each time she'd been back on the Citadel had been filled with thoughts of what might happen if she ran into members from her faction bent on revenge for helping to take them down. But nothing had happened, so she relaxed.

“_Apparently it seems they have a long memory just like me._” She thought while thinking fast.

Using a group of Alliance marines as cover she ducked into an alleyway. She waited at the edge as the man tried to figure out where she went. Grabbing a fistfull of jacket, Anna pulled him into the alley. Giving him a shove deeper into the space she asked, “Who sent you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Let’s just skip it, you’re pissed that I got everyone killed or captured by C-Sec. You want revenge, blah blah blah.” Anna went to pull out the knife that she kept concealed but as her hand closed around air remembered that she’d stopped carrying it after joining the Normandy.

“Not armed Ryder? I’m surprised it only took you a few weeks to forget.” the man sneered as he pulled out a pistol, aiming it at her.

“You know me, I like to do things the hard way.” Anna moved at the same time he pulled the trigger and the bullet sank into her shoulder.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, Anna slammed into him and caused the pistol to go skittering deeper into the alley. She used the forward momentum to rammed him into the wall and used her arm to hold him there.

“You also forgot that I still know how to play dirty.” she growled, shoving her free hand into the side of his jacket and finding his own knife. Pulling it out, she slammed the hilt into his nose and heard a satisfying _crunch_. She then sank the knife into his neck and pulled it out, letting the knife fall to the ground with a clatter and took a step back. Anna felt her hands tremble and took a deep breath to calm down.

Rolling her shoulders to relax herself, Anna stifled a cry as her wounded shoulder protested the movement. She needed to get the bullet out before it got infected.

–

James Vega walked into Shepard’s apartment on the Silversun Strip and wondered who else was there. The Commander had told the squad rotation that if they couldn’t find a place to stay then her apartment was always open. With the shortage of Alliance housing because of the war, Vega and a few others always crashed at her place.

“_It’s just easier that way._” He thought while heading towards the kitchen to get a beer before seeing if they were rerunning a biotiball game. “_Instead of calling around hoping that a place has a bunk for a night and then repeating the same thing the next day._”

Closing the fridge door, he turned towards the giant living room when a muffled curse reached his ears. Pausing, James set the bottle on the countertop and headed up the stairs to investigate. Reaching the hallway where the spare rooms were, he could hear the faint sound of running water. The only door that was open was the room that Anna Ryder had claimed.

“Ryder?” James called out while stepping into the room. Then he turned towards the bathroom and paused, “Woah.”

Anna look to see James in the middle of the room she’d taken over and saw the mixture of surprise and confusion on his face. Not wanting to go back to the Normandy and explain to Chakwas why she had a bullet hole in her shoulder made Shepard’s apartment the obvious choice. Apparently the Commander didn’t believe the ‘business as usual’ line C-Sec and the Council kept posting and had the necessary supplies for bandaging up wounds.

“It looks worse than it actually is.” Ryder said, wincing slightly at how much of a disaster the room looked; used gauze littered the floor, equipment for getting the bullet out, bottles of different disinfectant on the counter, and running water to clear the blood out of the sink.

Vega folded his arms and gave her a ‘don’t bullshit me’ look, “Does it? Because it looks likes you performed surgery on yourself. What happened?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Anna replied, turning back to the mirror and trying to get a better angle on the wound. “I took care of it.”

“Well at this rate, you’re going to get an infection. Let me help.” James walked into the bathroom and gently guided Anna to sit on the edge of the tub.

The retort died on her lips as she sat down, surprised at James taking charge of the situation. Normally she’d tell him to fuck off, but by the time she thought of it James was already looking at the wound.

“Looks like there aren’t any fragments. You got lucky.”

“You’re telling me.”

James swabbed the wound with another round of disinfectant, “It’ll probably scar.”

“Another one to add to the collection.” Anna replied as James swiped medi-gel over the wound before packing it with gauze and taping the whole thing up. “I’m sure you have your fair share.”

“And most have a story.” James busied himself with cleaning up, suddenly aware of how close they were and that Ryder was only in her leather pants and black sports bra. He wouldn’t deny that she was attractive, hell if he didn’t fraternize then he would seriously consider asking her to Purgatory when they were on the Citadel. But he also knew that it could get complicated very quickly and that was one of the reason's he had that rule.

“Maybe over a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy you’ll tell me a few.” Anna teased, referencing the first time they gotten to know each other.

Vega let a half-smile appear, “Maybe.”

“Thanks…for helping.”

James looked over to see Anna giving him a vulnerable smile, “You’re welcome.”


	6. Enchantment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This prompt comes from Inktober and is when Loki decides to be the little shit that he actually is. Clint & Natasha friendship.

“Here you go.”

Clint Barton opened his eyes to see Natasha Romanov next to the couch with an ice pack. Letting out a groan he took it and placed it on his aching knee.

“It’s not funny.” Clint said as he tipped his head back, closing his eyes.

“I didn’t say anything.” Natasha replied as she sat on the arm of the couch while unsuccessfully hiding a smile.

“You were thinking it.” Clint pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

“Do you remember any of it?” Natasha asked after a beat of silence. They had Tony’s penthouse to themselves, the others were finishing up their debrief, and she wanted to make sure Clint knew what had just happened.

Clint opened an eye and stared at the vaulted ceiling for a few moments before answering, “Sort of? I mean, I remember before and after. But the middle is…somewhat fuzzy.”

“Why?” He glanced at Natasha who was studiously not looking at him. Sitting up he continued, “Did Tony get video of it?”

“…Yes.”

Clint flopped back down with a groan, “Of course when Loki enchanted me to think I was Robin Hood, Stark tapes it. Ooh-de-la-lay what a fucking day.”

At the reference from the Disney movie, Natasha let out a laugh. Clapping a hand over her mouth, she glanced towards Clint and saw that he was confused. “Sorry…” she said through her fingers. “I guess his enchantment hasn’t completely worn off yet.”

Clint opened his mouth to reply but at that moment Stark’s private elevator let out a ding and a few seconds later he heard, “JARVIS, what’s the hit count on Clint yelling about rescuing Maid Marian from Prince John in Central Park?”

_The video has just crossed fifty-thousand views._

Clint let out a groan that was muffled by Thor’s loud laughter. He was never going to live this down.


	7. Stitches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is from Whumptober and takes place pre-Avengers, with Clint/Laura while they only had Lila. Enjoy!

The sounds of an unhappy toddler pierced through Clint’s painkiller induced sleep and he cracked open an eye.

Belgrade had been a near disaster; both him and Natasha had been injured trying to cross into Serbia and then again when they had tried to secure the package. It had been skill and luck that they made it out in one piece.

Placed on leave until they fully healed, Clint knew he had to see his family as soon as possible-taking Natasha with him was a given. Clint knew that Laura would’ve given him an earful if he’d left Nat back in Medical. Because even though she was his partner, both him and Laura thought of Natasha as a part of their small family. Something that SHIELD and the larger world couldn't touch and was a secret from pretty much everyone in both D.C. and New York.

“-daddy and Auntie Nat are resting.” he heard Laura say to a sniffling Lila as he eased down the stairs.

“Everything okay?”

“Lila's overdue for her nap so she's cranky.” Laura replied while picking up Lila and letting the two year old bury her face in her shoulder.

“I can take her if you want. Give you a break.”

Laura shook her head, “Medical said you shouldn’t be lifting anything heavy. I don’t want your stitches to rip.”

Clint knew Laura was right, but at the same time wanted to hold Lila. To anchor him and tell himself that this wasn’t a dream. So he compromised and gently rested his hand against the back of Lila’s head while gently pressing his forehead against Laura’s.

“I miss you guys.” he murmured, wrapping his free hand around Laura’s waist to draw them closer.

“We miss you too.” Laura replied just as softly, living in the moment. She knew from being a SHIELD agent that risk was part of the job, but at the same time that didn't stop her heart from pounding every time she got a call telling her that Clint had been hurt. 

She also knew that Clint loved what he did in the field and that when he was with Natasha, he was the safest he could be. Knowing that they were partners and looking out for each other is what she told herself when Clint was gone for months and she had to make sure the farm ran smoothly while taking care of a toddler. Natasha was family and Laura wouldn’t have it any other way.

“How long can you and Natasha stay?” she asked, breaking the silence that had enveloped them.

“Two more weeks. Mayne three if Fury lets us use some vacation time.”

“Can you ask him? Lila really misses you.”

Clint let a smile appear at the question and took a step back from Laura, looking at her. “I’ll call tomorrow.”


	8. Warmth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A prompt from the MEffictober list; ‘You keep me warm’. Vega/Ryder, takes place during ME3 and after Priority: Tuchanka.

Anna Ryder opened her eyes, not sure why she was awake. Shifting slightly she grimaced at the stiffness running throughout her body. It had been a few weeks since she’d lost that fight to a brute on Tuchanka and ended up as a human cat toy.

Feeling the solid muscle of Vega’s chest against her back, Anna felt herself start to fall asleep all over again. Just as she closed her eyes though, the alarm went off again and let out a muffled groan. Even though she was on light duty that didn’t mean she still enjoyed the early wake up times.

Vega dimly heard the alarm and sleepily opened an eye. Having Ryder’s red hair fill his vision made him happy-especially since they’d finally admitted that what they had was more than a shore leave fling. He chuckled at the groan she let out, knowing how she loved to sleep in when given the chance.

“Five more minutes?” he rumbled, gently sliding an arm along her curves.

Her body still warm from James’s body heat and the covers, Anna thought that sounded like a wonderful idea.

“Mmm…sounds good to me.” she said, moving so she was on her back and turned her head to look at James. “You keep me warm y’know.”

“I do?” James let a sleepy smile appear before leaning close to Anna and gave her a slow kiss on the edge of her jaw. Mindful of the fading bruises on her face, he pressed light kisses along the scar running from her jaw to her ear. “I can also think of a few more things to keep us warm.”

She closed her eyes as Vega placed lingering kisses along her scar. Normally she tried to hide it under makeup or with her hair, but when she was with James...he made her feel like it was her best feature. Closing her eyes, Anna arched her neck as James gently scraped his teeth against her skin and let out a breath. 

"_I could stay like this forever._" Anna thought as they both shifted slightly and the metal frame of the bunk creaked underneath their movement. "_Just us and no responsibilities._"

Then the sound of Cortez getting up from his bunk on the other end of the partition reached her ears, drawing her back to the reality that they weren't alone. Knowing their five minutes were up sooner rather than later, she let out a sigh while putting a hand between her and Vega to gently push him back.

“Another time.” She said before giving Vega a chaste kiss and sitting up.

Vega gave a mock pout but sat up as well, helping Anna stand after being squished between him and the wall for so long. He didn’t want to say it, but the way the war was going another time might not come.

And James didn’t want to waste a moment.


	9. Swing & Pattern

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This where for a lot of prompts I start to double up so I didn't fall behind. The first one takes place post-ME1 (Shenko) and the second one during ME3 (Vega/Ryder), both taken from Inktober!

The Alenko family cabin was practically in the middle of nowhere. Shepard remembered Kaidan saying that the next house was five kilometers away and that the closest town was an hour away. 

But Rose Shepard didn’t mind the solitude. After spending the majority of her life on either a spaceship or station, she enjoyed hearing the sounds of the birds and other wildlife.

Kaidan was busy preparing the grill for their dinner so with a beer in hand she lazily made her way across the lawn down to the edge of the lake. There was a giant tree on the bank that held a porch swing on one of the larger branches. Sitting down, she let the easy back and forth motion relax her even further.

“I knew you’d like the swing.” Kaidan said, sitting down next to Shepard. Shore leave after Sovereign’s attack had been welcomed, giving both of them a chance to sort through their feelings away from the eyes of the Alliance and the public. 

It had been years since he’d last been to the cabin, his career in the Alliance meant that he couldn’t get out here as much as he wanted to. He vaguely remembered lazy summer days here with his parents, running around in the marsh and catching fireflies in the evening; listening to the cicadas and other bugs in the gathering twilight.

“It’s nice out here.” Rose simply said, shifting so she was closer to Kaidan. 

“It is. We should come back during the winter, if we can swing the extended shore leave.”

"It would be nice to see the season's change."

"The lake actually freezes that we can ice skate on it." Kaidan wrapped an arm around her shoulder and they sat on the swing, watching the sun set and silently enjoying the time together. 

"Mmm...that does sound like fun."

–

James Vega didn’t do fundraisers. 

He didn’t like putting on his dress blues or even formal civilian wear and pretend like everything was fine outside of the Citadel. He would rather be decompressing at Purgatory with other Alliance soldiers on shore leave or ‘blowing off steam’ with Anna Ryder at Shep’s apartment.

But after the attack by Cerberus, the Commander was determined to help rebuild the Citadel any way she could. And sometimes that meant having the crew show up to a party at the casino to tell interesting stories and drink levio-champagne. 

“_Maybe I can slip out after ten minutes._” he thought while running a finger across the collar of his dress blues, trying to loosen it. “_See if there’s anything going on at the Arena._”

“Oh good, you’re still here. Want to arrive together?”

James turned around at the voice, spotting Anna Ryder making her way down the stairs and felt his breath hitch.

She was in a sleeveless black and red evening dress, with the red sequins forming a heart pattern, and sparkling in the light. Her red hair was braided and pinned back, showing him how long it had gotten since coming aboard the Normandy.

“Is there something wrong with my dress?” Anna asked, pausing at the base of the stairs and looking down at what she was wearing, wondering if he was staring because something had ripped and she didn’t know it yet. 

James realized he was staring and snapped out of it, “Uh…no. No-you clean up pretty good Freckles.”

“I could say the same thing about you.” Anna cracked with a self-conscious laugh. “I didn’t even know you _owned_ an outfit that was the correct size.”

“Gotta look sharp some time.” Vega smiled, letting the easy smile act as he offered his elbow to Ryder. The nervous energy fell away and he felt like Ryder on his elbow was as natural as anything else.

“It does feel nice to get dressed up in something that isn’t a uniform.” Anna admitted, silently thanking the Commander for letting her borrow an old dress for the event. "I never really got the chance to do it much while back on Earth."

"Yeah? I would've thought you'd have invites stacking up in your omni-tool." James said as they walked out into the Strip, the flashing lights and sounds of laughter suddenly hitting them. It was like there wasn't a fight for their survival just outside of the cluster and that they could be just a wealthy couple headed for a night out of drinking and gambling.

"They fell away once my mom got sick." Anna replied as they strolled towards the casino, glad that she'd opted for flats instead of heels. "And Alec got caught developing an illegal AI."

She flashed Vega a smile, "But enough about me, what about you? Ever swank it up in your dress blues?"

"On occasion." 

"I bet you look even better out of formal Alliance wear. Must have all the girls getting all kinds of flustered." Anna teased, glad that they were at the point in their friendship where they could raz each other about things.

James let out a laugh at the comment, knowing that Ryder was giving him a hard time, "I never had any complaints. Stick around and you might find out for yourself."

Anna smiled as they reached the casino, the photogs ignoring them in favor of the Commander and Major Alenko who were at the top of the stairs, "Maybe I will."


	10. Don't Move & Adrenaline

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These were both taken from Whumptober and are Clint & Natasha!

_Click._

Clint Barton felt the sharp teeth of the trap sink into his leg and went down, automatically clamping a hand over his mouth to muffle the yell that was spilling out of his mouth. Fortunately behind them the sound of alarms covered his voice, as did the sound of fire from the explosions they’d set off.

“Don’t move.” Natasha Romanov said in a brisk tone, her voice as loud as she dared. They were in the middle of exfiltrating and she wasn’t surprised that there were traps; they’d already come across a few in the building itself.

“No shit.” Clint replied after sucking in a breath, his heart hammering from the flood of adrenaline his body was producing to keep him from passing out.

Natasha shone a penlight on his leg and Clint felt his vision get dark at seeing how the trap dug into him. This wasn’t going to be a simple fix and it felt like the shouting was getting closer.

“Nat-” Clint started to say, while feeling sweat fall down his neck and his world start to spin a little.

“No. I’m not leaving you.” Natasha said while thinking quickly, giving him the light before taking off her jacket and shirt. Putting the jacket back on, she ripped her shirt into strips. “You owe me a new shirt. And dinner when we get back.”

Clint let out a sigh, knowing it was useless to argue with Natasha. And that she was using it to distract him from what was about to happen. Giving her back the light he nodded as Natasha put it away, “Okay. Let me know when it’s going to suck.”

“Put your hands on the other end.” Natasha replied as she put her hands between the spikes on one side and waited for Clint to do the same. “This is going to suck.”

It took both of them to pry the trap open and Clint was able to just move his leg out before it slipped from their hands and snapped shut again.

Natasha moved quickly, grabbing the strips of her shirt and tying them around and above the wounds. Clint had gone quiet and she knew that he had to be in so much pain. “You still with me?”

“Unfortunately yes.” Clint blinked to clear away the dark spots that danced in his eyes. A fresh surge of adrenaline was coursing through his body, blocking most of the pain and keeping him conscious. “How far is it to the road?”

“A few miles. Can you stand?” Natasha asked while glancing towards the tree line, seeing the beam from flashlights bounce towards them.

“Then we better get going.”


	11. Overgrown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Inktober and takes place post-game in ME:A (reyes/ryder).

Reyes Vidal heard soft cursing and cracked open an eye. 

The first thing he noticed was that the space next to him was empty, but there was enough latent heat that told him Ryder had only recently left. Closing his eyes again, he started to drift off when there was more cursing and a clatter.

Getting out of bed, he slipped on a shirt while heading towards the bathroom where the sound had come from.

“Everything okay?” he rumbled, still not fully awake. He’d expected Ryder to accidentally hurt herself, but everything was in order-save for the hairbrush on the floor.

“My hair is too long. I need a haircut.” Ryder groused while motioning to her head. “It keeps getting tangled no matter how much conditioner I put in and it’s a bitch to brush out. But I don't have _time_ for one because everyone needs the Human Pathfinder to deal with their problems.”

Reyes couldn’t help but chuckle as he picked up the brush and took Ryder’s hand, leading her back to the bed.

“Sit.” He ordered, pointing to the edge of the mattress. 

Waiting until Ryder sat down, Reyes climbed onto the bed and moved so he was sitting behind her. “The trick is to start at the ends of your hair and not the top. That way you’re not ripping out hair once you get to the roots and brush down.”

Ryder closed her eyes at the rhythmic motions of Reyes’ brushing her hair, the motions calming her more than anything. “Mmm…how did you get so good at brushing hair?”

“It’s a story for later.” Reyes said, pushing her long hair aside and pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “But it’s one I’ll tell soon.”


	12. Best Hot Drink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This prompt is from MEffictober and addresses the ‘pumpkin spice vs apple spice vs peppermint mocha’ debate. Also an 'Everyone Lives' AU where both Ashley and Kaidan survive Virmire because that choice was BS.

“You’ll love Vancouver, Commander. Best clams on the West Coast.” Kaidan said with a smile as the shuttle began it’s final descent into Alliance Headquarters.

The Normandy had finally made it back to Earth after Soverign’s attack on the Citadel and Kaidan was itching to get his feet on solid ground after being in space for so long.

“Don’t say that in San Francisco, LT.” Ashley said as she gazed out from the viewport. Glancing back, she saw that Shepard was equally distracted by the view and couldn’t help but smile. “Not many chances to visit Earth Commander?”

Shepard shook her head, “Nope. Downside of being a Spacer. Other than a few times with my mo-Captain Shepard, Academy training, and N school it’s been one frigate after another. First time I experienced actual weather change…well let’s just say I still get messages from my Academy squad about it.”

Ashley bit back a smile and noticed that Kaidan was doing the same. They knew that the Commander wouldn’t bring up her Academy days if she didn’t mind the ribbing she got from her former squadmates.

“Think they’ve started serving pumpkin spice latte’s at the chain stores yet, LT?” Ashley asked after they disembarked and were hit with the chill in the air that signaled fall was underway.

“They’ve probably been selling it for a few months already.” Kaidan remarked after briefly glancing at his omni-tool. “Although I prefer apple spice.”

Ashley made a face at the mention of the other drink, “Of course you would. Sir.”

“Oh and drinking melted candle wax that vaguely smells like pumpkin is better?”

“Better than drinking something that turns into apple juice when it gets cold.”

Shepard listened to Kaidan and Ashley good naturedly rib each other over their preferred drink and was glad that she’d managed to save both of them on Virmire. Each brought something different to the team that would have been lost if she’d been forced to choose only one to save on that planet.

Kaidan’s empathy made Shepard remember not to take herself so seriously and to try and help as many as she could while Ashley’s tactical knowledge was handy during a firefight. During the hunt for Saren, they both reminded Shepard of what she was fighting for and that had payed off in the end.

“Commander?”

“Hm? Sorry, I was just thinking about something.” Shepard sheepishly admitted, feeling her face heat up slightly at getting sidetracked.

“What you’re favorite hot drink? Other than black coffee, that is.” Kaidan gently teased while glancing to see if any Alliance brass was around. Seeing that they were alone for the moment, he lightly brushed his fingers against hers.

They were still trying to sort through their feelings and he hoped that if they got leave after all the debriefs, they could go somewhere to fully sort it out.

Shepard smiled at Kaidan’s subtle movement and intertwined a few of her fingers with his. “Neither. I prefer peppermint mocha.”

Ashley raised an eyebrow at the answer, “Care to explain, Commander?”

Shepard shrugged, “It’s hard to explain. Maybe because it was the first coffee drink I had on Earth when I was old enough. Or because it smells so wonderful-the chocolate and peppermint mixed together with the whipped cream. I just like that over the other two.”

“Now I want to have one.” Kaidan smiled, cautiously letting go of Shepard’s hand as they rounded the corner. “If I remember correctly there’s a chain coffee shop nearby. How about after we get our quarters we meet there and settle this once and for all?”

Shepard smiled, “Sounds good to me. I’ll even buy.”


	13. Hot Coco & Bonfires

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more prompts from MEffictober and takes pre-game with the Ryder twins.

The _snapcracklepop_ of the fire pulled Anna Ryder out of her thoughts and back to the present. Her and Scott were on a brief climbing trip at Arches National Park, and even though it was the middle of August the desert nights got cold enough to make the fire welcome.

Wrapping her hands around the mug of hot coco, she watched as Scott stepped out of the tent and zipped it up.

“Just spoke to dad and he said that mom had a good day today.” Scott said as he sat down across from Anna and picked up his own mug.

“Yeah?”

“Went outside and walked around in the yard a bit. Said if felt nice to feel actual sunshine for once.”

Anna let a faint smile appear, “That’s good.”

It had been a few years since they’d gotten the news that Ellen’s repeated exposure to eezo had caused her to develop terminal cancer and make it a waiting game. Anna had moved with her back to Texas, to help her mother and get out of the East Coast where Alec was now living. It had also been awhile since her and Scott had done a trip like this, both their jobs making it hard spend anything longer than a day together.

Scott saw his twin staring into the fire and knew that she was thinking about what might happen in the next few years. He also knew that Alec had been trying to speak to her about the Andromeda Program and that she’d been ignoring his vidcalls.

Dragging a twig through the dirt he tried to act like he was just bringing up the weather, “Have you heard about Jien Garson’s new venture?”

“The thing to Andromeda? Yeah, why?”

“Well apparently dad-”

“No.”

“You didn’t even let me finish.”

Anna gave Scott a ‘do I really have to explain it to you?’ look, “The second you mentioned Alec, I didn’t want to hear it.”

“C’mon Blue, hear me out.” Scott tried to put on his best pleading look, the one he knew she couldn’t resist. “Please.”

Anna was silent for a few seconds before letting a soft sigh escape her lips. “Okay, fine.”

“Dad’s been working on a new project with them. He didn’t say what, but apparently Jien bankrolled it and he’s onto something. So much that they’re bringing him on as leadership.”

“Good for him. But I don’t see what that has to do with us.”

“Dad wants us to join as well. We’ll be on his team and probably even get to make first contact with whatever’s in the cluster.”

Anna raised an eyebrow at Scott’s excitable tone as he spoke. “No.”

Scott had opened his mouth to reply when he processed Anna’s reply and paused, “What? Why?”

“Why, Scott? You’re really going to ask that? Okay, well for starters it’s Alec; he got kicked out of the Alliance because he got the idea to conduct illegal AI research. _And_ tanked our career’s as a result. That’s also why we’re here instead of out there.” Anna waved a hand towards the sky as she spoke.

“Plus we’d be leaving our friends, family, and _mom_. I’m not doing that.”

Scott was silent, knowing that Anna was having a hard time dealing with mom’s illness. Especially since they were mostly out here so she could have a break and not have to worry about what kind of day their mother was having.

“_Plus she was starting to go off the edge again, I could see it in her face when we talked._” he thought while tossing the twig into the fire and watching the sparks that flew up into the air as a result.

“Just…think about it. Please.” he said after a moment of silence. “Let Alec send the material to you and read it. That’s all I’m asking for right now.”

“Alright.” Anna grumped before standing and stretching her limbs. “_Just_ reading.”

“Just reading.” Scott echoed as Anna made her way into the tent.


	14. Stay With Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Whumptober and this is just a small section from a larger fic that I'm writing from Priority: Tuchanka with James & Ryder.

Anna Ryder looked over to see the brute rumbling towards Shepard, who was struggling to get the second hammer down. There wasn’t time to distract the thing and while Shepard could get her rifle out, the hammer was more important. So she did the first thing that came to mind; she charged towards the giant animal in a blur of purple and red energy. 

Coming between the brute and the Commander, Ryder pulled what biotics remained into a lance and threw it at it. Not moving, Anna pulled out her shotgun and fired, letting the thermal clips get the tough hide of the brute. 

It worked for a second, but it seemed her actions had just pissed off the brute even more because it charged towards her and gave a giant swipe of its paws. She tried to move out of the way but was too slow, getting caught in its wake. Ryder flew through the air like a ragdoll and slammed into a giant slab of stone. She heard a crunch and pain shot through her entire body.

Her vision blacking out, she’s vaguely aware of yelling followed by gunfire.

Then nothing.

–

The pain is borderline unbareable. Breathing hurt and her left arm felt like a krogan used it as a bottle opener. Anna opened her eyes, trying to focus them and found it hard to. Vision blurring, she noticed a Vega sized blob sitting not far from where she was; in that slumped sleeping position that eerily reminded her of the same thing she used to do by her mother’s bedside. 

James roused at hearing movement, the shift of the mattress followed by the sharp inhale of breath. Opening his blerry eyes, he rubbed them while sitting up. 

“Ryder?” he rumbled as his vision cleared.

“James…” Anna whispered, tears forming at how much pain she’s currently in. “What-”

“Hey. Don’t…save your energy.” James said while leaning forwards, wanting to comfort her but not daring to touch her broken body. So he settled for putting a hand on the edge of the bed, not quite touching her but still near her. “That was a pretty dumb thing you did back there.”

“The…Commander-” Anna broke off as a wave of pain made her lose her train of thought. Closing her eyes, she felt fresh tears stinging the cuts on her face.

“Freckles.” Vega tried to keep the worry out of his voice and knowing that he was failing. Clearing his throat he tried again, “Chakwas didn’t like what she was seeing on the scans so we’re on our way to the Citadel. They’ll take good care of you there. But it’s okay, you’re going to be okay.”

“Stay with me...” Anna whispered, moving her right hand slightly so it lightly touched his. She was vaguely aware of movement on the other side of her but couldn't move because it hurt just to think about the action. Then she felt a numbing rush of what she assumed were pain meds. 

That made her assume that this was all a drug-induced hallucination, because why would James Vega be sleeping in the med bay while she was hurt? They were just shore leave fuck buddies and it didn't matter if she wanted that to change; he was pretty clear on the whole 'it's casual' thing they talked about when the arrangement started.

Vega gave it a light squeeze and gently brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face, while ignoring Chakwas as she finished administering another dose of painkillers. “’Course I will. Besides, you still owe me two bottles of Serrice Ice Brandy.”

Anna let a faint smile appear as her eyelids grew heavy, “I see how it is, you’re just tolerating me for my connections.”

“It’s more than that Freckles.” James said as he watched Ryder’s breathing slow until she was in another drug-induced sleep.

Hearing Shep radio that Ryder was down and then seeing her in the med bay made him realize a few things. One being that he wanted their relationship to go beyond just a shore leave fling.

And that somehow the red head with authority problems and a knack for weaponry had become someone he wanted to have a future with.

“More than that.” He murmured in the stillness of the medbay.


	15. Tread

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An Inktober prompt, as well as a Clint & Natasha cop au.

Clint Barton was getting too old for this shit.

That was why he left city and headed to the suburbs, less crap he had to take from his squad and other people. And his caseload had lightened considerably; mostly it was dealing with bored kids and the odd burglary. Getting partnered with Natasha Romanov had been tense at first, but then when they were chasing after a shoplifter they managed to find common ground.

“_And it didn’t help she side-tackled the guy like it was nothing._” Clint thought with an absent smile as he watched Natasha kneel and look at the tire treads on the ground.

“Do they match the car we’re looking for?” Clint called out as Natasha straightened up and pulled out her work phone.

“I think so. Call the Crime Lab to get them out here.” Natasha replied while taking a few shots of the tracks before walking back the Clint.

“They’ll be here in thirty.” Clint replied as he hung up the phone.

“That’s another dinner you owe me. What does that make? Ten?"

Clint looked at Natasha’s ‘I was right and you were wrong’ smile and couldn’t help but return one of his own. “You’re hilarious Romanov. It's five.”

“I do try, Barton.”


	16. Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whumptober again and follows the Destroy ending in ME3, established Shenko.

Rose Shepard looked at her reflection in the mirror and felt the familiar heat rush up to her cheeks. It had been years since the Reaper War had ended but at the same time it felt like just recently. Mainly because she was reminded of it whenever she looked in a mirror.

They told her that her cybernetics barely holding on is what saved her, but they’d been too damaged to repair the wounds she received from the destruction of the Crucible. The Alliance doctors had offered plastic surgery as an option, anything for the Savior of the Galaxy, but once Rose was able to speak she declined.

She didn’t want any more procedures other than what was absolutely needed.

As a result, her face was a crosshatch of scar tissue. There were days when she was fine with that, but then there were days where she didn’t want to face the world and its staring eyes.

Usually it’s when the Alliance needed her to be Commander Shepard, but occasionally it happened when her and Kaidan went on a date night and people stared.

So she stared using make-up as a way to hide the scars and hoping that people would only stare because she was _Commander Shepard_ and not because she wore the cost of the war on her face.

“You don’t have to do that you know.” Kaidan said as he leaned against the door frame, watching Rose apply the makeup.

“I know.” Rose said as she reached for the foundation and brush. Dabbing some of the liquid on her hand, she blotted the brush with it and started to apply the makeup with quick strokes. She’d have to finish the rest in the shuttle.

“Then why?”

Rose focused on setting down the brush and picking up the concealer and placing on the spots that needed a bit more attention. “Because…it makes me feel better. Plus Miranda went on a five-minute lecture about how the brushes help with my fine motor control.”

Kaidan was silent, continuing to watch as Rose moved on to her eyes; holding the blender brush with her steadier hand and slowly applying the liquid mascara above and below her eyelid. When she was finished he made his way behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“As long as it makes you happy.” he said softly into her neck before gently brushing his lips across her skin.

Rose turned so she was facing Kaidan and placed her arms around his neck. “You make me happy. And…so people don’t stare as much.”

Kaidan saw the flash of pain in Rose’s eyes as she spoke, knowing how much she controlled her post-war image as much as she could. And that she had good days and bad days, they both did. But it seemed that Shepard would be insecure about somethings no matter what.

Gently smoothing a wiry strand of hair down Kaidan replied, “How can they not stare? You’re the prettiest girl in the room.”

Rose let a laugh escape and gently tapped a finger on the tip of his nose. “You always know how to flatter a girl Alenko.”


	17. Hallucination & Secret Wound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both prompts are from Whumptober.

Natasha Romanov moved her shoulder and the bullet wound sent pain running down her arm. Biting her lip so Clint didn’t find out, Natasha glanced out of the corner of her eye to see if he’d noticed.

They needed to reach the border and with the military of the small Eastern European country they were in looking for them, they needed all the speed they could get.

Fortunately Clint was more focused on the road they were driving on to pay much attention to Nat in the backseat. She gingerly placed her leather jacket over the wound, ignoring how the dried blood pulled on her skin and the fact that it was starting to look an angry red around it.

“Damn it.” Clint said as he looked down at the gas gauge and saw that they were almost out of gas. “We’re gonna have to stop soon, Nat.”

“How far to the border?”

“More than we’ve got gas for.” Clint replied as he glanced back at his partner. He noticed that Nat was a bit quieter than normal and he wanted to put it down to the exhaustion and adrenaline crash after their mission into the facility went upside-down.

“_She’d tell me if something was up._” he told himself as they rolled into a small town that had exactly one gas station. The one lucky thing since they started running, Clint pulled in and turned off the car.

“I’ll grab us some water.” Natasha said as she slowly extricated herself from the car. They still had a few Euros left and they needed energy if they ran into a blockade.

“Make mine a coffee.” Clint said as he popped the gas cap and started filling the car up.

They were back on the road in no time and made it to the boarder with little trouble. Which Clint was glad for because he doubted Laura would’ve enjoyed another ‘we had to run for our lives’ story when he got back to the farm.

Getting onto the Quinjet, they were soon flying back to London for their debrief. An hour into their flight, Clint turned to ask Natasha if she wanted to fly out to the farm for a weekend when he saw that her skin was pale and she was slumped against her seat.

“Damn it Nat.” Clint cursed as he unbuckled himself and made his way towards her. A hand against her forehead told him that she was burning up.

“Agent Romanov’s injured. Radio London and have a med team waiting. ” Clint said to the pilot as he went for the med kit.

–

They were trying to get information out of her.

Natasha had been grabbed during a standard honey trap mission and now the russian official was trying to get information out of her. But she’d been trained for this type of thing, so it was a waiting game.

Her vision swimming, Natasha fought against the hands that were grabbing at her. She needed to get free and get out of where they were holding her.

“Nat!”

The familiar voice broke through the haze and Natasha paused. Clint.

“Relax, they’re trying to help you.”

“_Clint wouldn’t lie._” Natasha thought while a dark haze settled over her eyes.

After what seemed like a few minutes, Natasha opened her eyes and realized that she was in medical with her shoulder wrapped in white gauze.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Blinking, Natasha turned her head to see Clint sitting up in the chair next to her bed while rubbing his eyes.

“How long was I out?”

“Two days. And that was after they had to sedate you because you socked one of the docs while they were trying to fix the wound. You didn’t answer my question.”

Natasha stared at the ceiling for a moment before answering, “Because we had an entire military on our ass and we couldn’t stop to take care of a scratch.”

“You caught an infection for fuck’s sake. We know how to hide.”

“Not with the time sensitive plans. And we barely crossed the border before they caught up to us.”

Clint let out a huff and shook his head, “Just…tell me next time. I got an earful from Phil.”

“Can’t let you do all the dumbass stuff.” Natasha smiled as Clint tried to hide his own amusement at the quip.

“It did feel nice to not be the one that they needed to patch up.”


	18. Dizzy & Tasty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are both from Inktober and take place post-ME3

Kaidan Alenko’s world spun and he gripped the edge of the countertop. His vision blurring, Kaidan tried to focus on the marbled pattern in front of him while trying to stay upright. Focusing on the migraine he’d been dealing with since this morning helped to straighten things out and he slowly sat on the floor, his back against the island counter.

Closing his eyes, Kaidan wasn’t sure how long he sat there when he heard the sound of the door opening and closing.

“Kaidan?” Shepard called out as she walked into the house, her nose smarting from the cold weather. Silence greeted her and she paused, wondering where Kaidan could be.

“_His bike is still here. Maybe he’s upstairs._” she thought while hanging up her coat and cane before cautiously walking into the kitchen. Then Shepard saw Kaidan sitting on the floor.

“You okay?” she asked, moving as fast as she was able to towards him.

“Migraine.” Kaidan muttered, furrowing his eyebrows even though his eyes were already closed. “And I felt dizzy.”

“Oh Kaidan, I’m sorry.” Shepard sighed, feeling bad that she’d been out while he’d been dealing with another migraine. “Want to go to the couch or somewhere else?”

“Yeah.” Kaidan squinted against the light as he held out his hand for Shepard to grab. Cautiously standing, the world staying firm and he was glad. “_With Shep still getting used to her prosthetic it’d be bad if I couldn’t stay upright._” 

“Where to?”

“Bedroom.”

Shepard bit back the dirty remark and helped Kaidan up the stairs to their bedroom. Once he was in bed, she made sure the lights were off and the blinds closed. It’d be dark in a few hours but for right now she knew how much even the normal amount of light would hurt.

Making her way back down, she set the kettle on and quietly pulled out a mug and some cider mix. A few hours later, Shepard heard movement and looked up from her spot on the overstuffed couch. “Hey. Any better?”

“Some. Took some stuff so I’m just waiting for it to kick in.” Kaidan said while shuffling towards the kettle. He noticed that it was still warm and that there was an extra mug with a packet of instant cider mix they both liked next to it. Quickly making himself a cup, he eased himself down next to Shep.

“Sorry about earlier, Kaid.”

“Why?” 

“If I’d known that you weren’t feeling good I’d-”

“Don’t.” Kaidan interrupted, not mad at Shepard for being out. “With the weather changing and getting everything unpacked…I’m surprised I don’t have one constantly.”

“I just don’t want to make it all about me.” Shepard replied as she leaned her head against Kaidan’s shoulder.

Kaidan draped an arm around Shepard’s waist, “After making it about everyone else for the past five years, it’s okay to take some time for yourself.”


	19. Dark & Ransom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts from Inktober (Dark) and Whumptober (Ransom), takes place during ME:A and has some beginning Reyes/Ryder.

“_This is the last time I go out by myself on Kadara._” Scott Ryder thought to himself as he tried to ignore how much his nose itched.

He knew it was because his hands were tied behind the chair he was sitting in, and if he just ignored it, the sensation would go away. But at the same time it was driving him up a metaphorical wall 

“_Stupid rocks busting an axel and stupid raiders thinking ‘hey! let’s attack the pathfinder while he’s fixing his rover.’ That would really put a wrench in his plans to try and chart the area._” Scott mentally sighed while slumping slightly, his body stiff from sitting for so long. “_Drack is never going to let me hear the end of this._”

The sound of the door to his room…cell…wherever he was being held opened and Scott straightened. The blindfold over his eyes keeping him in the dark as to where he was exactly. All he knew was that SAM had told him the area was heavily fortified so that made a rescue attempt tricky.

Footsteps approached and Scott tensed as rough hands untied his bonds and yanked him up. Stumbling, Scott barely stayed upright and quickly matched the pace. Echoes told him that he was somewhere in a cave.

“_Although there are approximately a million caves on Kadara so that doesn’t give me anything._” Scott thought as they shoved him into another room. This time though, his foot tripped on something and he went sprawling onto the floor.

“You guys really need to clean up, nearly broke my neck.” Scott quipped while feeling blood drip down his face.

A cough to disguise laughter gave Scott that there was at least one other person in the room with them and he started a mental tally. They hadn’t taken the blindfold off so that meant they didn’t want him to see what they were about to do.

“_I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not._” Scott wondered to himself as they sat him down in another chair.

“We recording?” a gruff voice asked.

A pause, where Scott assumed that someone nodded, and the voice continued.

“You asked for proof and here it is. We’ve got the Pathfinder. Here are our demands.”

“I’m sorry _what?_” Scott blurted out, confused as to what was going on. “Demands? What is this, a ransom vid?”

“Shut up.” The voice said, a second before a fist connected with Scott’s face.

Light burst across his darkened vision and Scott fell out of the chair, landing on the prefab floor with a metallic thud. Rough hands grabbed him and shoved him back into the chair, binding his hands behind his back again.

“Edit that out.” After clearing his throat, the man continued, “Five hundred credits and an Initiative shuttle, tracking disabled, to take us off this hell hole of a planet.”

“Only five hundred credits for the Human Pathfinder? C’mon, where’s your imagination guys.” Scott spoke up again, while wondering if he had a concussion because while he could verbally spar with the best of them, at the same time knew if he kept mouthing off he’d get another kiss with a fist.

But he was kind of insulted that they thought he was only worth five hundred credits.

There was a pause and Scott tensed, waiting for the hit that never came. Another beat of silence passed before the bandit spoke. “What do you mean, imagination?”

Scott shifted in his chair while trying to think fast. “Think about it. You managed to get the drop on the only pathfinder in the cluster at the moment. Why limit yourself to five hundred credits? Sure that’ll get you started somewhere else, but after that what? You go back to raiding? You need to think long term.”

“He’s right boss. What if we asked for two shuttles?” Another voice chimed in. “Then we can start running supplies-maybe get on Vidal’s nerves that someone else is edging in on his exclusivity on flipping off Kelly.”

“See, he get’s it.” Scott said while nodding his head in the vague direction that the voice had come from. “I can tell you that-”

The rest of the sentence gets cut off by the door suddenly opening and the tell-tale _thunk_ of a grenade hitting the floor.

Scott reacts almost immediately, throwing himself off the chair while rotating so that his back takes the brunt of the explosion. Ears ringing, he can dimly hear gunfire being exchanged and he tried to curl himself into a small enough target so he doesn’t get hit.

“Stupid tied up hands.” he muttered as the fighting continued. Then silence fills the space and Scott wants to get up, but he has no idea who won.

Footsteps and muffled voices approach him and Scott tensed, waiting to be hauled up again. Instead calloused hands, hands he knows, go for his bound hands and untied them. Sitting up, Scott pulled off the blindfold around his eyes and he squinted against the light as they adjusted.

Blinking rapidly, the blur in front of him sharpens and it’s Reyes.

“You have no idea how glad I am to see you.” Scott smiled while sagging in relief. Cora and Drack are in the background, checking to make sure the bodies on the ground are actually dead and if they have anything they can sell later on.

Reyes smiled as well, relief that they found Ryder in time washing over him. It had been a race to find the pathfinder once they realized he was missing, hoping that they could get to him before something happened.

“SAM told us you were stalling them. Saying how much they needed to ask for ransom.” Reyes held out his hand to help Scott up, the other man taking it gladly and leaning against Reyes once he’s fully up. “That’s pretty impressive thinking.”

Scott would smile but the ache where he got hit is almost too much. “They wanted five hundred credits and a shuttle for me.”

“I didn’t know that was the going rate for pathfinders.”

“I'm kinda insulted.” Scott let out a slight breath as Reyes helped him down the steps. “…thanks for the assist.”

“You’re welcome.” Reyes gave Scott’s hand a squeeze and they slowly made their way back to his shuttle. “Just promise me to not get kidnapped again.”

“I make no promises.”


	20. Ride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Inktober and takes place pre-Avengers. This is Clint & Laura so if you don't like the pairing feel free to skip this one (I respect your ship but miss me with the hate).

Laura Conroy liked being a SHIELD agent.

She got to work with the best in the Intelligence community, both domestic and foreign, see technology that was far more advanced than anything the public knew about, and her GS pay grade was high enough to pay off her student loans ahead of schedule, get a decent apartment in Georgetown (even though she still needed a roommate), and was starting to think about saving for the future.

Plus she’d even managed to navigate dating within your work and catch the eye of one of the top field agents; Clint Barton.

Her phone buzzed with Clint’s dog appearing on her lockscreen. Smiling at the photo of the dog with his tongue hanging out, Laura tapped the screen to look at the text.

_Meet me for lunch?_ 🏹

Laura had to smother a smile at the bow and arrow emoji that he used instead of his name.

“_I know it’s to keep it anonymous in-case anyone sees, but it’s a little on the nose._” she thought while tapping out a response and getting back to work before Phil came in to see if the reports were done yet.

The time to lunch passed quickly and set her away message before grabbing her purse and heading towards the elevator.

“Laura! Want to join us? We were going to try that new place on L street.” Laura’s cubiclemate asked as she waited for the elevator.

“Sorry, but I’ve got a lunch date.” 

“Is it the same mystery man you’ve been seeing for the last month? You’ll have to tell HR if it gets serious.”

“Yes and I know.” Laura was glad that the elevator arrived as she was talking, avoiding the fact that it was SHIELD policy to disclose relationships.

“_Especially internal ones._” she thought, quickly walking through the hubbub of the main entrance and towards the parking garage. She liked being with Clint, but wasn’t sure if all the strings attached were worth it.

–

A few days later Laura was enjoying the warm spring day by airing out her Georgetown apartment when her phone buzzed. It was Clint, this time asking her to look out her window.

Curious, she did and was surprised to see Clint Barton leaning on his motorcycle on the street below. Shaking her head while laughing, she texted back.

_What are you doing here? -L_

_It’s a nice day, how about a ride to really enjoy it?-_ 🏹

_Be right down. -L_

Laura shoved her phone in her pocket and grabbed a jacket. Hesitating for a second, she made up her mind and quickly grabbed her off-duty weapon-slipping the holster onto the waistband of her jeans next to her SHIELD ID. Her long shirt and jacket covered both and soon she was down.

“Is this part of ‘I want to be spontaneous’ thing you were talking about the other day?” she asked as Clint handed her a helmet and she put it on.

“Something like that.” Clint replied with an easy smile once Laura was sitting behind him and had her arms wrapped around his waist. “Also I wanted to spend time with you.”

As Clint merged into D.C. traffic, Laura couldn’t help but ask something that had been bugging her since they’d started to see each other regularly. “Isn’t Agent Romanov going to get jealous?”

Clint focused on the cars around him until they were out of enough traffic for him to respond. “Nat and I are really good friends and teammates. No matter what the office gossip says. In fact, she’s the one who told me to ask you out.”

“No way.” Laura knew the surprise was in her voice as they sped down the street, the cherry blossom tress nearly blurring together. “I’m surprised that Agent Romanov even _knows_ I exist.”

Clint laughed as they came to a stop at a red light and they automatically placed their feet on the ground. “You can call her Natasha outside of SHIELD. And yes, she likes how you always keep Strike Team Delta’s files up to date and organized.”

“Wow, the Black Widow likes my filing.” Laura smiled, realizing that spending time with Clint was the one thing she looked forwards too. He might be an idiot sometimes, but he made up for it with compassion and focus.

And that alone was worth sticking around to see if what they had went anywhere.


	21. Injury & Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Clint & Laura one! This is from Inktober (Injured) & Whumptober (Recovery).

Clint Barton was one of the top field agents at SHIELD, a master assassin, a former carney, and never missed a shot he took.

He was also currently caught in a cargo net that looked like it belonged in an Indiana Jones movie, not for the first time wondering how he had ended up like this.

“_Just do the Recon, Clint. It’ll be fine._” he thought while swinging freely in the air. “_This isn’t fine._”

Natasha was somewhere in the building and he hoped that she was getting the data files that they’d been sent to retrieve. After what seemed like forever, he heard the sound of footsteps and tensed.

Fortunately it was Natasha and she stopped just under where he was swinging. “Do I even want to ask?”

“No.” Clint sighed, knowing that he wasn’t going to hear the end of this for a long time. “There should be a lever or something to get me down.”

“Give me a minute.” Natasha replied as she stashed the drive they’d been sent to retrieve in her utility belt and moved in the direction that Clint had indicated. Finding it quickly, she wasn’t sure how to bring Clint down without hurting himself.

Unfortunately, that’s when the guards decided to make an appearance and so Natasha had to switch her focus. Dealing with the first one was easy but the second guard was more of a challenge.

“Nat, watch out!” Clint called out as more guards appeared. Frustrated at not being able to help, he decided to do something about it.

Twisting so he could reach his combat knife, Clint started working on freeing himself. “_I’ve fallen from higher distances._”

It didn’t take long, and the netting gave way. Before he fell too far, Clint grabbed onto the rope so he could control his descent. But he’d misjudged the pulley system and started falling faster than he originally thought.

“Shit!”

–

“Knock knock.”

Clint looked over towards the partition to see familiar brown hair appear. Then Laura Conroy, Phil’s office manager, fully stepped around the privacy curtain and he saw that she’d brought a bag with her.

“I’m surprised that you got that past the medical staff. They’re notorious for sniffing out contraband.” Clint replied with a smile as she set the bag on the floor next to his bed.

“It helps when you know most of the staff.” Laura smiled, trying not to stare at the bandages around Clint’s right hand and the cast around his left arm.

“It’s not as bad as it looks. Really.” Clint said, breaking the near awkwardness of it. “Just some rope burns and a cracked ulna. Compared to some of the other injuries this is a cake walk.”

“Oh? Well I guess you don’t need this ‘get well soon’ care package.”

“I never said that. They actually had to give me some of the good painkillers.”

“Well in that case…Natasha said that you liked watching _Dog Cops_. Hopefully this is a decent replacement since you can’t watch the latest episodes.” Laura pulled the bag closer to her and rummaged around it before pulling out a stuffed dog. “Something to keep you company.”

“It’s adorable. I always wanted a dog, never had the space or time for one though.” Clint smiled as Laura placed it on the bedside table. 

His recovery was going to be long, but something told him that Laura would be right there with him. Something that he was alright with.


	22. Mischief Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ne comes from MEffictober and takes place pre-ME:A for my Ryder.

Annabel Ryder hated the hard plastic chairs that she was forced to use while in public buildings that made you wait for long periods of time.

They were in her high school and she hated them with a passion, like the people who designed them wanted everyone who sat in them to get out as soon as possible.

Currently though, she was in a chair that was in the area police station and not happy about it.

It was the night before Halloween, or ‘Mischief Night’ as they liked to call it on the East Coast. So of course the police were a little more on the ball than usual and responding quicker to reported shenanigans.

“_And of course I have to be the only one that actually got caught color bombing someone’s car._” Anna thought to herself while shifting in the seat and folding her arms across her chest.

Anna lost track of time, not sure how long she sat in the busy station, waiting for Scott to bail her out.

“Have enough time to cool off?”

Anna frowned at the voice, looking up to see Alec Ryder walking towards her. Slouching down in the chair she avoided his gaze. “I’m going to hurt Scott for telling you.”

“Your brother didn’t tell me. I have a friend on the force who gave me a courtesy call. Although I’ll have to ask Scott about why you called him instead of me.” Alec Ryder said while wondering how his oldest had started down this path without him noticing.

“Maybe because I didn’t know if you’d actually be in town. Especially since you lock yourself away even when you are here.”

Alec Ryder crossed his arms and bit down on the retort that even if his work kept him busy, he still wanted to be apart of her and Scott’s life. But that would just bring another smart remark from Anna, escalating things when they didn’t need to be.

Instead he let out a sigh and glanced to the sergeant’s desk. “Let’s go.”

“Uh what about the ‘bailing out’ part of this whole thing? Or did you forget as usual?”

“Can you stop for one moment and listen?” Alec snapped, his patience wearing thinner than normal. “Lucky for you nothing was broken and the powder was easily removed so no formal charges are being filed. I asked them to hold you until I got here. So let’s go.”

Anna narrowed her eyes at Alec, wondering if he bribed the owner of the car not to file charges or if there was something else going on that she didn’t know just yet, but his stony face gave nothing away. Sighing, she got up and walked out of the station towards Alec’s electric car.

The ride back was almost uncomfortable, neither of them talking and Anna hoping that no one would be up when they arrived home and there would be awkward questions.

They were almost home when Anna broke the silence, “Are you going to tell mom?”

Alec let out a heavy breath and thought about his answer. He wanted to tell Ellen, she had every right to know about Anna’s attention-seeking behaviors, but at the same time she’d been feeling under the weather lately and he was trying to be more of a presence at home.

“I think since you weren’t formally charged we don’t have to tell her.” He eventually said while turning onto their street. “Have you thought about what you want to do after senior year?”

Anna shook her head, “No.”

“Since you have biotics the Alliance will conscript you. If you don’t go to a university.”

“I know.”

“Give ROTC some thought. You could get a start with your training if you wanted. I think you’d make a good Infiltrator.”

“Possibly.” Anna mumbled, wanting to tell Alec that she didn’t really want to be in the Alliance. But she knew she didn’t have a choice because of her biotics, so she fell silent again-glancing up at the sky and noticing the stars that made its way through the light pollution.

“_If I can get off Earth and travel through the stars maybe it won’t be so bad._” She thought as Alec turned into the driveway and saw that most of the lights were off. “_I’ve always wanted to do that._”


End file.
